The present disclosure relates to methods of tagging a member, and more specifically, to methods of encoding data in the member using a stress formed in the member.
Various industrial applications require the use of high-quality large metal parts, such as high-quality steel pipes, for example. Producing such high-quality parts involves considerable expertise and expense to metal manufacturers. Many of the parts so produced are mission-critical in that failure can lead to loss of life, property and damage to the environment. It is therefore desirable to be able to identify these parts in manufacturing through the supply chain and in the field. Further, counterfeiters are falsely marketing low-quality metal parts as high-quality parts, thereby undercutting legitimate manufacturers and providing inferior products to the work place. In order to satisfy tracking needs and thwart the actions of counterfeiters, manufacturers mark their products with identification tags placed on a surface of the metal part. However, current tagging methods are ineffective or unfeasible because the tags are easily forged and because these metal parts, steel pipes, etc. are often used in environments that may erode, corrode or abrade the surface of the metallic objects, thereby destroying the tag.